1) Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates to helicopter landing pads.
2) Background
Helicopters find service in many different areas, from commercial to military to recreational. A longstanding difficulty with helicopter flight has been landing the craft, particularly in windy or inclement conditions. It can also be inconvenient to stow and store a helicopter between uses.
Helicopters are often landed on special landing pads, referred to as “helipads.” Such helipads are often provided on top of tall buildings in urban settings, and are generally constructed as a large flat platform. Helipads are also provided at airports, or on relatively large water vessels, such as commercial fishing boats, freighters, coast guards, or military vessels.
To land safely on a helipad, it is critical that the pilot know the direction and velocity of the wind in the area around the helipad. Although weather reports may provide general information about prevailing wind conditions, conventionally pilots rely on a windsock or vane in the vicinity of the helipad that gives an indication of the wind direction and some useful information about velocity. To view the windsock or vane, the pilot must first approach the helipad and maneuver in a position where it is visible, and then orient the helicopter according to the prevailing wind conditions. Generally, the helicopter is landed by flying towards the wind, because otherwise the horizontal crosswinds make it harder to control the helicopter and pose a danger when landing. However, if the wind changes direction when landing, the pilot may not immediately notice the change in the windsock or vane, increasing the risk in landing the craft.
Once the helicopter has landed, it can also be inconvenient to stow and store the craft. Many helicopters do not have wheels and can thus be difficult to transport after landing. Removable wheels can be manually placed beneath the helicopter struts to allow the helicopter to be towed after landing. However, this takes time and labor, and is inconvenient.
Typically when stowed, the helicopter is towed to a hangar for storage, but often a hangar can be too small for the helicopter because of the span of the helicopter blades, particularly at smaller airports which generally handle small aircraft. The helicopter can be stored outside a hangar, but then it is exposed to the elements, and high winds can potentially topple the craft, causing serious damage. These problems are magnified when landing a helicopter on a waterborne vessel. It is often necessary to lock down the helicopter after landing on such a vessel, but it is difficult to orient the helicopter at the desired angle on a ship's helipad, thus making it difficult to prefabricate fixed equipment for securing the helicopter after landing. To ensure that the helicopter is oriented in a forward direction, the ship must be steered into the wind, allowing the helicopter to fly into the wind when landing. This complicates helicopter landing and requires special coordinated action between the helicopter pilot and the ship's pilot.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a helicopter landing pad that overcomes one or more of the foregoing drawbacks, disadvantages, or limitations. It would further be advantageous to provide a helicopter landing pad which is more convenient for landing and improves safety. It would also be advantageous to provide such a landing pad which increases convenience for stowing and storing the helicopter after landing.